Adjustable belt terminal



1965 A. G. CARTER ETAL 3,214,814

ADJUSTABLE BELT TERMINAL Filed Feb. 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VENTORS Andrew Carter BY Hermon G. Alofs 1965 A. a CARTER ETAL 3,214,814

ADJUSTABLE BELT TERMINAL Filed Feb. 25, 1963 2 heets-Sheet 2 36 ll V 1 ""1 I V r I I FIG. 3

Andrew 6. Carter Herman G. Alofs I NVEN TORS BY MT Atty.-

United States Patent 3,214,814 ADlUSTAlE-LE BELT TERMINAL Andrew G. Carter, 2939 Lake Drive SE, and Herman Q. Alofs, 1512 Yorkshire SE, both of Grand Rapids, llilieh.

Filed Feb. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 260,514 6 Claims. (will. 24-196) This invention relates to the construction of adjustable belt terminals, and has been developed in conjunction with safety belt buckle mechanism. A safety belt should be easily adjustable in length to suit the individual user, and yet the adjusted length should be positively maintained. These requirements tend to be conflicting, and the purpose of the present invention is to meet both requirements with maximum mechanical simplicity.

To facilitate shortening of the belt, it is desirable that the free end should emerge from the terminal unit on top of the portion under tension. Prior adjustable terminals providing this feature have shown a tendency to creep, i.e. to pay out slack under vibration at periods of small stress. The structure of this invention has been developed to control this tendency without complicating the adjustment procedure. The adjustment to an increased belt length is performed by establishing a particular direction of manual pull on the tension portion of the belt, with this direction being well outside the normal range of alignment of belt tension at the terminal.

The several features of the invention will be analyzed in detail through a discussion of the particular embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a safety belt buckle, in the fully open position, beyond normal release position, with the opposite buckle sections engaged.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevation showing the adjustable terminal in the position for increase of belt length.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the belt terminal in normal tension position.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the holding bar associated with the mechanism shown in the preceding views.

The buckle section generally indicated at is normally fixed with respect to the belt section 11, and contains a pair of apertures 12 and 13 which are engageable with the abutments 14 and 15 on the buckle section generally indicated at 16. The engagement and release of the apertures and the abutments are controlled by the position of the cams 17 and 13 which are integral with the handle lever 19. The locking mechanism thus far described forms no part of the present invention, and is of the type shown and described in the United States Patent 2,904,866. The handle lever 19 is supported on the shaft 20, which is carried between the parallel flanges 21 and 22 of the buckle section 16. A torsion spring 23 has a portion 24 which closely engages the non-circular crosssection of the shaft to rotatably fix that portion of the spring with respect to the shaft. The opposite end 25 of the spring 23 engages the abutment 26 on the handle lever 19.

The buckle section 16 is adjustably connected to the belt section 27 by the terminal assembly centering in the transverse bar 28, which is best shown in FIGURE 4. An opening 29 is provided in the base 30 of the buckle section 16, the base 30 being formed integrally with the spaced flanges 21 and 22. The opening 29 terminates a short distance from each of the flanges 21 and 22 to provide a shelf of approximately the same width as the corresponding dimension of one pair of the end extensions 31-32 and 3334 of the bar 28. The bar is slidable with respect to the buckle section 16, and it is preferable that 3,Zl4,8l4 Patented Nov. 2, 1965 the central transverse portion 35 be vertically offset above the plane of the top surface of the base 30, as shown, to provide an improved action with respect to the belt. An equivalent arrangement which is equally effective is to offset the central portion of the base 30 away from the bar 28, leaving steps adjacent the flanges 21 and 22 to support a straight bar. The central offset portion of the base 30 would receive the full belt width, in such an ararngernent. In the tension position shown in FIG- URE 3, the bar 28 moves to the left with respect to the buckle section 16, and entraps a portion of the free end 36 of the belt 27 between the portion 35 of the bar and the edge of the base 3i) adjacent the opening 29. The transverse portion 37 of the base 3% acts as a bar transferring the forces of belt tension into the structure of the buckle section 16. The entrapment of the belt between the bar 28 and the portion 37, and also the bearing of the tension portion 38 on the free portion 36, effect a full transfer of all normal loading without slippage.

One of the difliculties of the so-called movable bar terminal devices is a disturbing tendency to creep, which is a term applied to a tendency of the belt to pay out slack under vibration at low belt tension. Since the jamming action is maintained by tension, release of tension obviously releases the forces responsible for holding the belt securely. Applicants have found that it is possible to control this tendency by providing a holding bar which will bear continually upon the belt just enough to permit Waves of slack from moving through the terminal assembly. This bar is indicated at 39, and it is not necessary that it bear strongly against the belt. As long as it is close enough to the portion 35 of the bar 28 so that the belt will have some degree of frictional engagement (even though merely through its own tendency to develop curvature from being wrapped around the portion 35), the bar 39 performs its function. It is preferable that the bar 39 be arcuate, as shown best in FIGURE 1, with an opening being provided as shown at 40. The opening may be considered not only as a means of lightening the device, but also of providing a relatively narrow cross section to the bar 39 so that the opposite edges of the bar may both engage the belt for frictional retention. It should be noted that the preferred form of the inven tion shown in the drawings involves the formation of the bar 39 as a portion of the material constituting the base 39, and which is laterally offset by a lancing operation into the illustrated configuration. This bar may also function as a stop for positioning the handle lever 19 as shown in FIGURE 3.

The particular embodiments of the present invention which have been illustrated and discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered as a limitation upon the scope of the appended claims. In these claims, it is our intent to claim the entire invention disclosed herein, except as we are limited by the prior art.

We claim:

1. An adjustable belt terminal, comprising:

a frame, said frame having a panel defining an open ing for receiving a belt,

said frame also having side flanges at the opposite sides of said opening, respectively, and spaced therefrom; a bar substantially flat in cross-section and normally extending across said opening between said flanges, said bar having opposite lateral extensions at each end thereof overlying said panel and extending beside the adjacent edges of said panel de lining the said openings, said flanges forming a guideway for said bar, and maintaining the angular position thereof with respect to said flanges; and a retainer formed integrally with said panel and partially 3 displaced therefrom to form said opening, and having a portion extending in spaced relation with said panel and substantially parallel thereto on the opposite side of said bar from said panel;

said opening being adapted to receive a belt loop to embrace said bar between the lateral extensions thereof, whereby said belt loop will extend between said bar and said retainer.

2. An adjustable belt terminal, comprising:

a frame, said frame having a panel defining an opening for receiving a belt,

said frame also having side flanges at the opposite sides of said opening, respectively, and spaced therefrom;

a bar normally extending across said opening between said flanges exclusively on one side of the plane of said opening,

said bar having opposite lateral extensions at each end thereof overlying said panel and extending beside the adjacent edges of said panel defining the said opening, said flanges forming a guideway for said bar, and maintaining the angular position thereof with respect to said flanges, said bar having an intermediate belt engaging lower surface lying entirely above and in spaced relationship with respect to said frame;

and a retainer normally fixed with respect to said frame and having a portion extending in spaced relation with said panel and on the opposite side of said bar from said panel; said opening being adapted to receive a belt loop to embrace said bar between the lateral extensions thereof whereby said belt loop will extend between said bar and said retainer.

3. An adjustable belt terminal, comprising:

a frame, said frame having a panel defining an opening for receiving a belt,

said frame also having side flanges at the opposite sides of said opening, respectively, and spaced therefrom;

a bar normally extending across said opening between said flanges exclusively on one side of the plane of said opening,

said bar having the central portion thereof offset from the ends to establish a spaced relationship between said central portion and the plane of said panel, said bar also having the ends thereof overlying said panel and extending beside the adjacent edges of said panel defining the said opening, said flanges forming a guideway for said bar, and maintaining the angular position thereof with respect to said flanges;

and a retainer normally fixed with respect to said frame having a portion extending in spaced relation with said panel and on the opposite side of said bar from said panel said opening being adapted to receive a belt loop to embrace said central portion of said bar whereby said belt loop will extend between said bar and said retainer.

4. An adjustable belt terminal, comprising:

a frame, said frame having a panel defining an opening for receiving a belt,

said frame also having side flanges at the opposite sides of said opening, respectively, and spaced therefrom;

a bar normally extending across said opening between said flanges exclusively on one side of the plane of said opening,

said bar having the ends thereof overlying said panel and extending beside the adjacent edges of said panel defining the said opening, said flanges forming a guideway for said bar, and maintaining the angular position thereof with respect to said flanges;

and a retainer normally fixed with respect to said frame having a portion extending in spaced relation with said panel and substantially parallel thereto on the opposite side of said bar from said panel;

said opening being adapted to receive a belt loop to embrace said bar whereby said belt loop will extend between said bar and said retainer.

5. An adjustable belt terminal, comprising:

a frame, said frame having a panel defining an opening for receiving a belt;

a bar normally extending across said opening exclusively on one side of the plane of said opening and bearing against portions of said panel adjacent said opening, said bar having an intermediate belt engaging lower surface lying entirely above and in spaced relationship with respect to said frame;

and a retainer formed integrally with said panel and partially displaced therefrom to form said opening, and having a portion extending in spaced relation with said panel and on the opposite side of said bar from said panel;

said opening being adapted to receive a belt loop to embrace said bar whereby said belt loop will extend between said bar and said retainer.

6. An adjustable belt terminal, comprising:

a frame, said frame having means defining an opening for receiving a belt;

a bar normally extending across said opening exclusively on one side of the plane of said opening, said bar having an intermediate belt engaging lower surface lying entirely above and in spaced relationship with respect to said frame and a retainer normally fixed with respect to said frame and having a portion extending in spaced relation with said frame and on the opposite side of said bar from said frame;

said opening being adapted to receive a belt loop to embrace said bar whereby said belt loop will extend between said bar and said retainer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,983,015 5/61 Harley L24-171 2,999,288 9/61 Warner et al 24-171 X FOREIGN PATENTS 9,010 1927 Australia. 153,991 8/38 Austria.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE BELT TERMINAL, COMPRISING: A FRAME, SAID FRAME HAVING A PANEL DEFINING AN OPENING FOR RECEIVING A BELT, SAID FRAME ALSO HAVING SIDE FLANGES AT THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID OPENING, RESPECTIVELY, AND SPACED THEREFROM; A BAR SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT IN CROSS-SECTION AND NORMALLY EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OPENING BETWEEN SAID FLANGES, SAID BAR HAVING OPPOSITE LATERAL EXTENSIONS AT EACH END THEREOF OVERLYING SAID PANEL AND EXTENDING BESIDE THE ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID PANEL DEFINING THE SAID OPENINGS, SAID FLANGES FORMING A GUIDEWAY FOR SAID BAR, AND MAINTAINING THE ANGULAR POSITION THEREOF WITH RESPECT TO SAID FLANGES; AND 